The Hindu : Constitutional sacrilege: CPI(M)

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Saturday, Mar 16, 2002

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Constitutional sacrilege: CPI(M)
By Our Special Correspondent

NEW DELHI, MARCH 15. The Communist Party of India (Marxist) today objected to the Divisional Commissioner of Faizabad receiving the `shila' from the Ram Janmabhoomi Nyas president, charging that the Government was ``pandering to religious fanaticism''.

The CPI(M) Parliamentary Party leader, Somnath Chatterjee, described the move as ``Constitutional sacrilege'' and questioned the decision to permit a Government official taking part in a religious ceremony. ``This is the first instance when the Government actually participated in a religious ceremony without any compulsions, pandering to religious fanaticism.''

Mr. Chatterjee said that by sending an official, the Vajpayee Government also gave credibility to the VHP's programme and permission it could not get directly. In the light of this development the Prime Minister's assurance to Parliament that the March 13 order of the Supreme Court would be implemented in ``letter and spirit'', appeared hollow.

Mr. Chatterjee took a dig at the `secular allies' of the National Democratic Alliance stating that they had to ``keep up the pretence of their secular stance''.

The CPI(ML) Liberation objected to the involvement of the PMO representative in receiving the pillars of the proposed temple stating that it showed the Government's role as being the ``real architect of the VHP campaign''.

``Coming close on the heels of the plea made by the Attorney-General, Soli Sorabjee, before the Supreme Court, the PMO's direct involvement in the `shila daan' ceremony once again contradicted the ruling alliance NDA's claim that Ayodhya is not part of its agenda'', the party general secretary, Dipnakar Bhattacharya, said.

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